Latest
development on the arrest of activists in Bhopal
All (seventy people) who were arrested this morning have been released.
Charges of trespass have been framed against all of them, including Nithyanand
Jayaraman.

I will keep you posted of further developments. Letters may however be
sent to the relevant officials and Statutory authorities as the illegal
action of the police deserves condemnation and punitive action.
Devika

0740 GMT (1:10
pm in Bhopal)

Arrested without warrant, held without charges

Satinath Sarangi,
Nithyanand Jayaraman, Ananthapadmanabhan ,Adarsh Vansay, Shailendra Yeshwant,
two reporters from an independent European media and 3 local activists
were beaten this morning by the local police at Bhopal .They were then
taken taken to the Shajahanabad police station and are being detained
there as I write this.

They have NOT BEEN INFORMED ABOUT THE CHARGES / GROUNDS OF ARREST and
HAVE NOT BEEN SERVED WITH AN ARREST MEMO, which they are bound to do under
law. This is gross abuse of power by the police and their action amounts
to blatant violation of human rights.

All the activists who are being detained have been fighting for justice
for the victims of the diastrous gas leak from the factory of Union Carbide
in 1984. The action of the police appears to be an attempt to intimidate
them and stifle the movement for justice to tthe survivors and victims
of the gas leak disaster.

PLEASE ACT NOW - HERE
IS WHAT YOU CAN DO

Please send faxes or telegrams in protest of the high handed behaviour
of the police and illegal detention of the activists to:-